Brighstone CE Primary School

Brighstone Buzz, Issue 19, 3rd February, 2012

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:09:00 +0000

NEWS FROM MISS JOHNSTON

Thank you to everyone who came to our community breakfast last Friday. Over 60 people attended and a good time was had by all! We also had a team participate in the Farmhouse Breakfast football match on Saturday and although they didn’t win, they did play extremely well and were praised for their sportsmanship. I had a super (if a little chilly!) time at Churchill Chine last Friday morning with 4 Year 6 children. We were filmed for BBC Countryfile, which is to be broadcast on the 12^th February. If you can’t wait until then, please check the gallery page on our school website. This week, Seahorse Class wrapped up warm to head out on a local walk and our learning detectives have been hard at work visiting several classrooms. Today sees Mr McGouran host a maths coffee and chat opportunity and I will be taking some children from Years 5 and 6 to compete in a Basketball competition at West Wight Sports Centre later on. We are still seeking parents to form a team for our maths week quiz, so please return your forms ASAP! We will also be holding a ‘work day’ on 13^th February. FAB are working hard to clear the school garden and would appreciate your help. If you can spare a few hours from 10am on the 13^th, please report to the school hall and you will be given a job! Finally, we’ve been issued with a severe weather warning for the weekend. If we receive a substantial snowfall and need to close the school, we will send you a text message at the earliest opportunity, so keep your phone handy! Also, if you tweet, remember to sign up to the Southern Vectis school transport twitter feed.

Miss Johnston

REMINDER – PLEASE can we have your clean, undamaged black boxes to help us with our recycling effort. Thank you!

ALL OUTSTANDING DINNER MONIES FOR THIS HALF TERM ARE DUE BY WEDNESDAY NEXT WEEK –

CONTACT THE SCHOOL OFFICE ASAP IF YOU ARE UNSURE HOW MUCH YOU OWE.

KS2 Golden Assembly Next Week – Parents of children accepting awards should have received letters last week.

Brighstone Buzz, Issue 18, 27th January, 2012

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:04:00 +0000

NEWS FROM MISS JOHNSTON

As I sit to write the Buzz this Thursday evening, I am reflecting upon a highly successful Farmhouse Breakfast Week 2012. This week, every child has received a different breakfast every morning and we have had numerous visitors into school including: Mary Case, Hamilton’s, Pabulum, Sainsbury’s and Briddlesford Farm as well as experiencing a super worship on Healthy Eating, led by the Eco-Schools Council. Today sees our week culminate in a Community Breakfast and I look forward to seeing many of you there. Mrs Pugh will be ‘holding the fort’ for me to begin with at the breakfast, as this week we received a very welcome invitation from BBC’s Countryfile, to participate in some fossil hunting and filming on Brook Chine this morning! I will be down on the beach bright and early with some Year 6 pupils and look forward to reporting back on our adventure next week! I’d like to extend huge congratulations to Jan Munt, who this week passed the National Programme for Specialist Leaders in Behaviour. Jan was instrumental in supporting the pupils and Mrs Pugh with re-writing the behaviour policy last year and continues to meet with pupils to review how well the policy is working. Jan’s work was highly praised and she is a real credit to the school. Well done Jan! A reminder that last week we advertised our forthcoming Maths Week: 28^th February to 2^nd March. We would be pleased to welcome parents into the school to share with us how you use maths in your job or everyday life. We are also looking for a brave parent’s team to face our KS2 children at the end of the week – please return your response forms to the school office. Good luck to those children who are participating in the Farmhouse Breakfast football tournament tomorrow – I look forward to hearing about your matches! And finally, they say a change is as good as a rest, so I will be moving to the playground gate at the front of the school whenever possible from next week. Miss Johnston

Brighstone Buzz, Issue 17, 20th January, 2012

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:26:00 +0000

NEWS FROM MISS JOHNSTON

At last – we are connected! I’m delighted to say that on Monday, our fibre optics were connected and we now not only have amazingly fast broadband, but crystal clear phone lines too! Thank you for your patience during this interim period, which I know has been incredibly frustrating for all of us. Spring term after school clubs have begun this week and I met a very enthusiastic book club and highly knowledgeable and keen ICT Club this week. I hope that the children enjoy these opportunities and I thank the staff for providing their time and expertise. I also enjoyed our first Forest Schools session of the term on a cold Tuesday morning, where the children showed an amazing talent for sawing and plans for constructing a tree house began to develop! Many of you will have started to receive wheelie bins as part of the new waste collection service. We will also be switching to an enhanced recycling service from the end of January and would like your help! If you have a household black box that is clean, undamaged and you will no longer require, please could you bring it into school as we require approximately 15 of them to kick start our classroom and office recycling. Many thanks. Please take some time to read the Safer Internet and Maths Week attachments, as we would value your support and involvement. Best wishes. Miss Johnston

Brighstone Buzz, Issue 16, 13th January, 2012

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:46:00 +0000

NEWS FROM MISS JOHNSTON

I don’t know where this week has gone! It has been an incredibly busy week for me, so please accept my apologies for absence from the gate. Weather permitting, I hope to resume normal service next week! Last Friday I mentioned our Epiphany Day. This was a huge success and it was a pleasure to see so many parents in school. Please come and have a look at our displays in the school hall, which illustrate the day. This week Seahorse Class launched their geography topic with a walk around the village and 4 children from Years 5 and 6 accompanied Miss Brough to an event for gifted and talented writers at Carisbrooke High School. They now have a ‘gap task’ to complete and I look forward to seeing their work develop. I’ve also had the pleasure of seeing some wonderful poems in Year 5 and amazing stained glass art in Year 4. As previously advised, the Education Welfare Service carried out a ‘late sweep’ on Wednesday. They will be returning in the near future, as there was some concern over the number of families arriving through the main entrance after 8:25am. We are human and know that there are some days when the car won’t start or the alarm doesn’t go off, but the school day does begin at 8:25am and it is important that children are in school for this time. Children in Years R, 5 and 6 can come into their classrooms any time from 8:15am. Enjoy the weekend – I look forward to seeing everybody safely back in school on Monday.Miss Johnston

Brighstone Buzz, Issue 15, 6th January, 2012

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:14:00 +0000

NEWS FROM MISS JOHNSTON

Happy New Year! A very warm welcome back to school and to 2012! I hope that you all had an enjoyable Christmas and haven’t broken your new year’s resolutions already! The school certainly wasn’t sleeping over Christmas. The installation of our new fire alarm system was completed and we also carried out repairs to fencing that had been damaged. I’m delighted to inform you that we raised £219.12 for the Children’s Society at our Christingle Service on the last day of term and those parents who heard about our ‘staff band’ may like to view photos of our performance, (as well as the children’s Christingle Service), on the gallery page of our school website. I’d like to extend a warm welcome to Henry, who has joined us in Year 5 this week and also to Miss Jenkinson, who has joined us on a graduate teacher placement until March. This week we have been trialling a new approach to lunchtimes with the children, which will see fewer outside at any one time. We will evaluate this with the children and staff over the coming weeks. Response slips for our spring term clubs have also been sent out this week. There are a few spaces remaining in some clubs. Please contact the school office for further details. Today we will be celebrating Epiphany and look forward to welcoming parents into the classroom to join in with our activities. KS1 will be focusing on gifts and KS2 great journeys. Finally, Miss Brough has recovered well and I’m pleased to say, is hoping to return to school on MONDAY. Wishing you all an enjoyable (and less windy!) weekend. Miss Johnston

Brighstone Buzz, Issue 14, 16th December, 2011

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:30:00 +0000

NEWS FROM MISS JOHNSTON Weâ€™ve made it! The end of term is here but itâ€™s by no means been a quiet finale! Saturday saw our Christmas Fair, which was incredibly busy! We are delighted to have made over Â£900 profit and Iâ€™d like to thank everyone who was involved in either the planning of this event, or helping on the day. Weâ€™ve had two superb performances of Hosanna Rock from KS1 and are all very much looking forward to the KS2 Christingle this afternoon, which the children have planned and will be leading. Our KS2 Choir braved the elements on Tuesday morning to perform in Newport and the children have all enjoyed their Christmas parties! Iâ€™d also like to extend a warm welcome to Julia, who has joined our learning support team in Year 3 this week and also many congratulations to Rachael, our Year 4 Learning Support Assistant, who attained the Childhood BA Hons degree last week. We would like to wish Mrs Saunders well as she begins her second placement at Shanklin Primary after Christmas and welcome Miss Jenkinson into Year 4 until the beginning of March, in her place. A note for Year 1 parents that Miss Brough is having a minor operation during the Christmas break and hopes to return on 9th January. We wish her well and a speedy recovery. Mr Yendall and Mrs Pierrepont will cover her class during the first week back. Iâ€™d like to finish with some thanks. Firstly to all of you for your kind cards, gifts and Christmas wishes â€“ they are all very much appreciated. And finally, to the staff. We have a wonderful team who work exceptionally hard to provide the best for your children and I would like to thank them for their hard work this term. I wish you all a wonderful Christmas and looking forward to seeing everyone back at 8:25am on Tuesday 3rd January 2012. Miss Johnston

Brighstone Buzz, Issue 13, 9th December, 2011

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 10:42:00 +0000

NEWS FROM MISS JOHNSTON

What a week! On Monday I was delighted to take receipt of £1150 of musical instruments, kindly donated by West Wight Rotary. This will make a huge difference to the children’s learning, for which I am eternally grateful. Year 6 have been busy with a visit from a steam engine, in addition to travelling to Milestones Museum in Basingstoke on Wednesday. The Year 6 learning detectives have been working hard as well, looking for learning in a variety of classrooms. Their reports have been both thorough and helpful, and I look forward to meeting with them more formally next week. We erected our trees in St Mary’s and the Methodist Churches on Tuesday. This year they are ‘poet-trees’, as the children enjoyed our ‘Rhythm and Rhyme’ poetry work so much. Spring term clubs forms went out on Tuesday and are due back by Thursday next week. If your child did not receive a form, please contact the school office or visit our website. Today we will be serving 147 Christmas Dinner’s to the children at lunchtime – I wish the kitchen staff much luck, as well as my thanks! I hope to see many of you at the fair tomorrow and I hear that Starfish Class need to be prepared for a very special hunt on Monday...watch this space!

Miss Johnston

Brighstone Buzz, Issue 12, 2nd December, 2011

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 15:53:00 +0000

NEWS FROM MISS JOHNSTON Preparations for Christmas are now well and truly underway. The postbox is in place if children wish to send cards to one another. Please ensure that all cards have the childâ€™s name and class written on them clearly to ensure delivery! It was a pleasure to see so many people at parents evenings this week. I hope that you found the meetings useful. Unfortunately Miss Capelin was unwell and so her meetings will now take place next week on Monday and Wednesday. The same appointment times will stand. If you now cannot attend due to the changed date, please contact Miss Capelin directly, who will be happy to see you at another time. There appears to have been a sickness bug doing the rounds this week! Please can I remind you that if your child has sickness or diarrohea, they should be kept off school for at least 24 hours after their last episode. Please do not send your child into school if they have been sick in the night. Thank you. Finally, our fibre optic cables were installed yesterday evening and we are hoping that our new broadband service will be in place by Christmas! We are now approaching a very busy two week period, so please read the Buzz carefully and keep an eye on the diary dates section in particular, so that you are fully aware of the many exciting events we have planned. Itâ€™s just 22 days until Christmas!

Brighstone Buzz, Issue 11, 25th November, 2011

Sun, 27 Nov 2011 10:14:00 +0000

I was delighted to be asked to undertake the reading at the licensing of our new parish priest, Rev. Helen Oâ€™Sullivan on Saturday. It was a wonderful service, led by Bishop Christopher, and he asked after the classroom and Seahorse Class! Helen spent Tuesday morning in school and is looking forward to getting to know the children and yourselves over the coming months. Christmas is on its way (sorry!) with us beginning our preparations for advent next week and momentum is gathering for the Christmas Fair! Watch this space for further exciting information! The BSA will be issuing maps to give to all the children next week so that only they know how to find the secret present room! The secret present room will be full of gifts, all priced at Â£2, which will be fully personalised and gift wrapped, including a large variety of gifts to suit family, friends, pets and much more. Please find attached the programme for this yearâ€™s Christmas Tree Festival, which we hope that you will enjoy attending. I had a super meeting with the Head Boy and Girl this week, who have been talking to the class about things that they would like to do, to commemorate their time at Brighstone â€“ they have some exciting ideas which I look forward to sharing with you after Christmas. Reception and Year 1 thoroughly enjoyed their pirate day yesterday and even I was tempted by their fabulous ships biscuits! Wishing you all an enjoyable weekend. Miss Johnston

Brighstone Buzz, Issue 10, 18th November, 2011

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 13:27:00 +0000

This week the school has been participating in anti-bullying week and our behaviour group (who helped to write our behaviour policy last year), led an excellent assembly on the appropriate behaviours that we expect to see in school. Years 4 and 5 took part in money skills workshops and I thoroughly enjoyed the last Forest Schools session with my current group, during which we each created a â€˜log bookâ€™ and cooked popcorn over an open fire in our very own home-made contraption! Year 1 have become smugglers and there has been a great deal of music ringing through the corridors! Mrs McQueen held a very well received coffee and chat for parents of children with special educational needs on Thursday morning. The focus was speech and language and she is now interested to hear from parents which professionals they would be interested to meet with at the next one! If you have any suggestions, please let Mrs McQueen know. Please can I remind parents that we are currently collecting items for the Christmas Fair - see the next page. A final note to say that Year 4 may now also order a jacket potato option, in place of the main/vegetarian meal for their school lunch if they wish. Miss Johnston

Brighstone Buzz, Issue 9, 9th November, 2011

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 13:39:00 +0000

NEWS FROM MISS JOHNSTON It’s been another busy week at Brighstone! I’d firstly like to extend a warm welcome to Maxwell who has started his learning journey in Year 1. Also to Nancy Rimmer, who joins us as our new pupil transport escort on the service 101a. Nancy will be shadowing myself and other escort staff for a short period of time and then I hope to be able to return to my usual morning post on the gate. Year 1 were incredibly fortunate with the weather this week and enjoyed a super day at HMS Victory as part of their pirate topic. Year 3 also appreciated a visit to Brading Roman Villa as part of their topic work. Miss Capelin has been busy talking to the children about the after school clubs that they would like to participate in next term and the Eco-Schools Council led a wonderful assembly about their current work and how everyone in the school can support them. The Governing Body have been hard at work too, reviewing a number of policies including ‘child protection’, which is available on the INFO page of our school website, along with other statutory documents. We are looking forward to our participation in Children in Need next Friday (see the next page), as well as our final Forest School session for this term. Miss Johnston

Brighstone Buzz, Issue 8, 3rd November, 2011

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:41:00 +0000

The nights are now drawing in and autumn is truly upon us! Welcome back to the second half of the autumn term.

It was an incredibly busy half-term at Brighstone. FAB Club (including the staff!) had a fantastic time being pirates for the week, constructing a wonderful pirate ship which Reception are now making the most of as part of their pirate topic work. We also undertook a great deal of work internally and externally. We are currently in the midst of having a new fire alarm being installed, which will not be complete until the Christmas break. All work is being carried out outside of normal school hours and our current system will remain in place until the new system is up and running. We were also pleased that the Local Authority were able to restore our broadband provision. A short-term solution has been found to restore the internet using an ariel link, but within the next few months, the school will be installing a new fibre optic connection which we are all very much looking forward to. Our school email account, text and telephone system are all now working again normally. Thank you for bearing with us – we do appreciate how frustrating this loss has been for all concerned.

The half-term got off to a great start with Year 5’s visit to the British Museum in London. A super day was had by all and I’ve heard many tales from the children about the mummies and giant scarab beetle that they saw! The following day saw Year 2 visit Beaulieu. Luckily the fine weather held and the children enjoyed their visit – especially looking at the cars that had been on the ‘Top Gear’ track. On Wednesday Year 6 had a live video conference with the National Archives and more activity is planned with off-site visits for Years 1 and 3 next week.

Please find attached our FAB booking form for the Christmas holidays – we would be grateful to receive bookings as early as possible, in order to help us to effectively plan our activities and staffing. A reminder that our breakfast club is still in operation EVERY morning from 7:45am in the Rowan Room. Breakfast and interactive activities are provided at a cost of just £2 per session. The staff and children would be delighted to welcome new members on a ‘one-off’ or regular basis. Contact the school office to book a session for your child.

As you know, it is an INSET Day tomorrow and teaching staff will be undertaking mathematics training with our partner school St Francis. FAB is open tomorrow, but please telephone the school if you would like your child to attend. Entry is through the Reception Classroom, not the main entrance. Enjoy the slightly longer weekend and I look forward to seeing you all return safely on Monday. Miss Johnston

21st October Brighstone Buzz Issue 7

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 17:42:00 +0000

Here we are at the end of the first half-term of the academic year and what a busy half-term it has been! I'm sure that you are all looking forward to the break ahead and I know that the staff and children in FAB are excited about becoming pirates next week! Apologies that you have not seen me on the gate for the last week or so, but I (and occasionally other staff) are currently acting as temporary pupil escorts on one of the school buses. Jennifer Middle successfully attained a speech therapy post and you may have seen our advertisement for her replacement. This week I attended a planning meeting regarding the Year 6 transition trips and a full itinerary, as well as details concerning parents meetings, will be made available to parents straight after half-term. A reminder to Year 6 parents that the deadline for returning your Secondary School application forms is 28^th October. Well done to those who played in this week's football match against Yarmouth. Sadly we lost 0-3, but the children were an outstanding credit and are looking forward to a re-match soon! Much work will be undertaken at the school during half-term, including the partial fitting of a new fire alarm system, moving the gate in the Early Years fencing, repairing the wooden walkway to the playground and replacing some fire doors - we are also hopeful that our broadband will return! So I look forward to seeing you all back safe and sound on the 31^st October. Miss Johnston

KS2 Award Winners: Autumn Term First Half

Numeracy -Emma-Rose, William B, Luke St, Martha

Literacy - Lacey, Eliot, Thomas St, Lauren S

Progress - Rosie, Leah-Louisa, Ben W-I, Jack L

Special Achievement - Max E, Kimberley, Jack M, Hannah J

The Arts - Leah M, Sam C, Harrison L, Isabel

Sport - Morgan, Jacob, Ellie-Lin, Kelseigh

14th October 2011 Issue 6 Buzz

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 18:13:00 +0000

We had a super morning in Bouldnor Forest this week - the children created a mini-map of our Forest School area using things that they found on the forest floor and we also then created our very own wooden hedgehogs! On Tuesday children in Year 4 enjoyed trying on clothes and using artefacts from World War 2 and our 'Learning Detectives' undertook a trial run of their new roles in Turtle Class. On Wednesday we participated in National Roast Dinner Day and although I sadly missed out on this, I have heard many positive comments from parents who enjoyed coming into school to eat a meal created from local produce alongside their children. A reminder that parents are welcome to join us for the community lunches that we serve on Tuesdays and Fridays each week - please ask the school office if you require further details. It is with regret that I write to inform parents that the Year 6 Family Learning event next week has been cancelled, due to our current lack of internet access. We were hoping that the Local Authority would be able to resolve our broadband issues this week, but this has now been delayed until half-term. We apologise for any inconvenience caused to parents due to our current lack of internet, email and text messaging access and thank you for your patience in contacting us on our single telephone line at the present time. Wishing you all an enjoyable weekend. Miss Johnston

Brighstone Buzz Issue 5 7th October 2011

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 08:51:00 +0000

Sadly the sunshine didn't last! Now that the autumn weather is upon us, please can I remind you to send your child into school with a warm and waterproof coat that is named - we also ask for children in KS2 to ensure that they have a pair of navy jogging bottoms in their PE kit, so that we can continue undertaking outdoor sporting activities throughout the colder months. St Mary's Church and the Foodbank charity, have contacted me to pass on their thanks for your kind harvest gifts last Friday - they were overwhelmed by your generosity and are extremely appreciative. This week has seen many visitors in school supporting Children's Book Week. These have included Paul Armfield from Waterstones, local poet Lydia Fulleylove and representatives from Brighstone Community Library. The children have participated in a variety of activities on the theme of rhythm and rhyme, which has included speaking and listening, poetry and language work based upon the "Stick Man" book during our Forest Schools session this week - this culminated in the children making their own ‘Stick Man' (photos on our Forest Schools board in the hall please do have a look) Our continued apologies for lack of access to the internet, including email, as well as our school texting service. This is an issue affecting all the schools in the West Wight and we hope will be resolved by the Local Authority next week. We have managed to reinstate 1 of our 3 phone lines, so please bear with us if it takes a little longer than usual to get through. Wishing you all a peaceful weekend. Miss Johnston

Brighstone Buzz Issue 4 30th September 2011

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 18:24:00 +0000

This week I spent a day working with the Headteacher and staff at St Francis, and the Headteacher from St Francis also spent a day at Brighstone. Our two schools will be working together on a number of projects during this year and these initial days were a super introduction to this work. Forest Schools and our after school clubs started this week as well and I hope that the children have all enjoyed these additional opportunities. Our new Year 6 Learning Detectives have also been hard at work and I look forward to them being able to report to you about their project of looking at and supporting children with their learning in the near future. On Wednesday evening I attended the Shorwell Fair Meeting and was delighted to receive a donation towards school funds - next year's event will be on the 23^rd June, so put the date in your diaries now! This afternoon we hope to see many of you in St Mary's Church for our harvest celebration and the parish service will also be held in the church this Sunday at 10:45am - you are all very welcome. Next week we are looking forward to Children's Book Week - see flyer for details. We have taken some bookings for FAB at October half-term, but still have plenty of spaces. Please send back your form on Monday if your child would like to be part of 'Pirate Week'. Just a final reminder that if you wish to purchase a whole school photo, please return the proof by Wednesday. The office have an actual size version, if you would like to see it in more detail. I hope the Indian Summer continues into the weekend! See you on Monday. Miss Johnston

Brighstone Buzz, Issue 3, 23rd September, 2011

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 10:30:00 +0000

It has been a busy and exciting week at Brighstone. On Monday, the children had their individual and sibling photographs taken and these proofs should be with you shortly – I hope that you all received a proof of the whole school photograph on Wednesday. It was a pleasure to welcome so many parents to our curriculum/’meet the teacher’ opportunity on Monday evening. I spoke to many parents who appreciated an informal conversation with the class teacher and the opportunity to learn how they can support their child at home. We still have some handouts leftover, which we can send home to you if you were unable to attend: please text the school office to request a copy on: 07786208446. Although the school was closed on Tuesday, the teachers were hard at work alongside other teachers in the local area and have come back with many super ideas; the children in FAB also had a ‘FABulous time!’ Next week sees the start of our after school clubs and parents should have received confirmation of their child’s place. Please can you ensure payment of £6 is made for each club by 3^rd October. An update for Year 6 parents – next week the 5 Headteachers will be meeting to finalise the details of the Year 6 transition trips, so I will be contacting you all very soon. Also to note that after gaining the appropriate permissions, we hope to move the new gate on the Reception/Year 1 play area to the main playground side at half-term. We hope that this will help parents with several children. To close, a quote I heard in Year 4 this week, which made me feel incredibly proud of the children at Brighstone: “Teachers educate and instruct whilst helping minds grow…they should be proud of what they do.” Miss Johnston

Brighstone Buzz, Issue 2, 16th September, 2011

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 10:28:00 +0000

The days are simply flying by now! It was wonderful to see the summer sun finally make an appearance on Thursday. We were however, hoping for this on Wednesday morning when we had our whole school photograph taken. As we assembled the last class on the staging, the rain began to fall! We are hopeful that we got some photos before the rain forced us back inside. We also began our lunchtime club for Years 5 and 6, (which has been extremely popular) and launched our all new breakfast club facility! On Monday next week, the children will have their school photographs taken. If you would like a family photograph taken with siblings who are not at this school, you may come into the school hall from 8:15am. We will endeavour to take these photos as quickly as possible and appreciate your patience – all children will have sibling and individual photographs taken later in the morning. We would also be delighted to see you at our curriculum evening on Monday – see the note on the next page. The school is closed on Tuesday for INSET training, but FAB will be open. Places are filling fast, so please contact us if you would like to book a place for your child. FAB are also now taking bookings for ‘Pirate Week’ during October half-term. The BSA will also hold their AGM straight after Golden Assembly on Friday – all welcome! Have a super weekend and good luck if you are participating in the ploughing match tomorrow! Miss Johnston

Brighstone Buzz, Issue 1, 9th September, 2011

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 14:10:00 +0000

A very warm welcome back to everybody!!! I do hope you all enjoyed the odd day of sunshine that we had during August and have returned refreshed! A special welcome to children and families who are new to Brighstone including: George in Year 1, Lily and Tyler in Year 6 and all our new Starfish in Reception! I’d also like to welcome our new staff: Miss Saddington, Mr McGouran, Mrs Saunders, Mrs Read, Mrs Miles, Mr Matthews, Mrs Snow and Miss Middle. We hope that you all enjoy being part of the Brighstone community. We have been extremely busy during the summer break and just a few of our projects have included: Refurbishing Year 3’s classroom, refurbishing the hall, painting the corridors, new fencing on the playgrounds, installing a new telephone system, fencing in the far field, sorting and setting up resources received from the closing Middle Schools and of course the usual preparation in classrooms for a new school year. We have also laid some new turf in certain areas of the field disturbed by building works and would be grateful if you could use the winding path, rather than walking across the field, when dropping off/collecting children at the rear, Warnes Lane, entrance to the school. Also, a reminder that we would like to encourage children in Reception, Years 5 and 6 to come straight into their classrooms between 8:15 and 8:25am, in order to alleviate the number of children on the playground in the morning. With this week’s edition of the Buzz you should have received quite a few attachments in a folder. Please take the time to read these carefully. Some are for your information and some need to be returned to the school, including the data collection sheet (along with any amendments), offsite visits form and after school clubs. Finally, a reminder that the school will be closed on 20^th September. However, FAB will be open and is now taking bookings (form enclosed) as well as for ‘pirate week’ at half term. I will be back on the gate next week after spending this week travelling on one of the school buses. Have a super weekend! Miss Johnston

Brighstone Buzz, Issue 39, 22nd July, 2011

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 09:15:00 +0000

Here we are â€“ the end of the academic year â€“ and I really donâ€™t know where it has gone! As well as a great deal of rain on Saturday, we also had the Brighstone Show! Year 4 put on a fabulous Samba demonstration, which the crowd thoroughly enjoyed, and I was absolutely delighted to receive a gold medal on behalf of the school, for our collective entry. This has never been attained before and is real recognition of the hard work of all the children in the last term. On Monday, Matisse visited St Maryâ€™s Church and conducted a wedding service to conclude their RE unit of work â€“ a good time was had by all! We have also had a variety of musical concerts this week, with all the children who have participated, providing much inspiration and enjoyment to us all. The weather also held for us on Tuesday morning, as myself and Jan took our Forest Schools group into Brighstone Forest for the final session of the term. The children completed some fantastic woodcraft activities and I was particularly impressed with Kimberleyâ€™s bird and Krystalâ€™s hedgehog! Iâ€™ve also had the great honour of hosting two key stage award ceremonies this week. It was incredibly hard to choose the award recipients, as all the children have worked with incredible diligence this year, but I was also delighted to present 6 100% attendance awards, to children who have managed to avoid all the coughs, colds and chicken pox, to be in school every day this year. Well done! Sadly, the rain caught up with us on Wednesday and we had to amend our plans for the opening of â€˜The Orchard Roomâ€™ and new play area. We are very sorry that parents couldnâ€™t attend; there was only just enough room for the children in the hall. However, as I type this on Thursday evening (having just watched 3 different weather forecasts), I hope that the weather will be kind enough to be able to share some of our performances with you this afternoon. Bishop Christopher, The Diocese of Portsmouth and our builders were squeezed in, before the Bishop, Head Boy and Girl, officially opened the room. Thorpe Class were the first people inside and are absolutely delighted that this will be their classroom! Iâ€™d like to thank the BSA for their kind contribution of Â£2500, which has paid for the fencing and Awards for All, from which we secured a grant of Â£10,000 to tarmac the area. Our year culminates tomorrow evening with the â€˜Summer Sizzlerâ€™ and we look forward to seeing many of you from 6pm â€“ entry via Warnes Lane. If you havenâ€™t purchased your ticket yet, you can still do so on the door and remember to bring a few pennies along for refreshments! During the summer break there is still more work to do at the school, which begins on Monday. We have a new telephone system to install, the current Year 2 classroom and hall to redecorate, a quiet room to create, as well as the fencing of the far field and repair and enhancement work to the main playground â€“ we will be busy! Today we say goodbye and good luck to Mrs Ludlow, Miss Oâ€™Callaghan and Chris Ellis, who are all moving on to pastures new. We wish them well and Iâ€™d like to thank them for their hard work this year. Iâ€™d also like to take this opportunity to thank all the staff, volunteers and governors, who work so hard on behalf of your child. I could not do my job without them and value every one of them greatly. It has been an incredibly busy and demanding year and we are very much looking forward to becoming a full age-range primary school from September. As part of this process, from September, pupils in Years 5 and 6 will be able to come straight into their classrooms from 8:15-8:25am to start learning, which should also help alleviate the number of children on the playground during this time. Iâ€™d like to sign off by thanking all of you as parents for your encouragement this year. I appreciate the work that you undertake with your child and the support that you give to the school in so many different ways. I wish you all a wonderful summer break (with hopefully some better weather!) and look forward to seeing everybody return safe and well at 8:25am on Wednesday 7th September. Miss Johnston ïŠ DONâ€™T FORGET â€“ FAB will be open throughout the summer break. Telephone: 740285 to make your booking.

Brighstone Buzz, Issue 38, 15th July, 2011

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 11:46:00 +0000

I can scarcely believe that we now have just one week of the academic year to go! This week the keystage 2 children completed their swimming sessions and will receive their certificates in Golden Assembly today. Year 2 had a wonderful day at the Milestones Museum in Basingstoke on Tuesday, where they literally interacted with the past â€“ and I hear made the accompanying adults feel quite old and very nostalgic! Year 5 have had a busy week, as they participated in the Island Church Schools Celebration Service at The Minster on Tuesday, before heading to INTECH in Winchester the following day, where Iâ€™m not sure who had more fun â€“ the children or adults! We had our first â€˜Phil the Bagâ€™ collection on Wednesday with 70 bags in total â€“ we await to see how much money this has raised for the school, but thank you for your kind donations. Reception Class planned a fantastic worship on Wednesday morning, linked to our weekly theme. Well done! Wednesday turned into quite a dramatic day when we created a temporary helipad so that the air ambulance could land on our school field â€“ it was not the day for me to be wearing high-heel shoes! Fortunately the patient, transferred to Portsmouth, left safely and we wish him well. At lunchtime today, I hope to be handed the keys for the new classroom!!! This has been an enormous project but I have to say, has been well worth the wait! The play area should be completed over the weekend, so the project will be finished just in time for our celebration on Wednesday â€“ Year 1 will have some of their fabulous photography work on sale, so please pop along with a few spare pennies to support them. Keep your fingers crossed for good weather-cancelled if wet. Thank you to Ellie D who provided the inspiration for the name of our new classroom, which will now been known as â€˜The Orchard Roomâ€™. Tomorrow sees the Brighstone Show and I am looking forward to watching the Year 4 Samba Band and visiting the handwriting and school garden entries from the children. As we draw to the end of the school term, we are starting to think about the detail of certain aspects for next year. If your child could bring in a large, old adult's round-neck t-shirt to wear for art, we would really appreciate it. Thank you in advance. Look forward to seeing you next week. Miss Johnston

Brighstone Buzz, Issue 37, 8th July, 2011

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 09:18:00 +0000

NEWS FROM MISS JOHNSTON What a busy week it has been and I can scarcely believe that we only have 2 weeks left of the school year! Year 4 had a wonderful day last Friday, when they worked with Tim Johnson on some amazing sculptures created from nothing more than a bale of hay! Please do go and visit their classroom to view their work if you havenâ€™t done so already. Year 5 have also been busy preparing for their enterprise sale today and being interviewed! All the children were invited to apply for the positions of Head Boy, Head Girl and Learning Detectives. After a rigorous application and interview process, we have appointed 7 learning detectives, who began their training with Di Pardoe and fellow Carisbrooke Primary School detectives on Tuesday. I am also delighted to announce that our new Head Boy will be Harrison B and Head Girl, Taylor G. They will be deputised by George M and Madalin M. Their letters of application were excellent and passion for the school thoroughly demonstrated in their interviews. I look forward to working with them next year and am sure that all parents and children congratulate them on their new roles. Thank you to those parents who attended consultation meetings this week. I hope that you found the sessions useful and are now looking forward to the challenges set for the new academic year with your child. Move-up morning is today (and next week for Year 2) and I know that the staff are all greatly looking forward to meeting their new classes and starting the learning journey. There are various events happening next week. Years 2 and 5 are both heading across The Solent to Milestones Museum and INTECH and we hope that they have enjoyable days. Parents â€“ please check the notes sent home regarding the specific drop-off and collection times for these visits and if you have any questions, please speak to your childâ€™s class teacher. There will be a BSA Meeting at 7pm on Thursday and all are welcome to attend â€“ help us to make sure that the Summer Sizzler is the best yet! Next Saturday is the Brighstone Horticultural Show, which begins at 12 noon. Year 4 are going to be showcasing the Samba skills that they have been practising all year, so it really is an event not to be missed! Iâ€™m sure Iâ€™ll see many of you there. Wishing you an enjoyable weekend. Miss Johnston ïŠ DONâ€™T FORGET â€“ Return your FAB booking forms for the summer holidays so that we can plan our exciting adventures!

Brighstone Buzz, Issue 36, 1st July, 2011

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 13:02:00 +0000

NEWS FROM MISS JOHNSTON Iâ€™ve certainly had a rollercoaster of a week! I was in school at 5am on Saturday morning in order to see our new classroom being craned in. As you are aware this didnâ€™t go quite according to plan, but Iâ€™m pleased to say that this has now been rectified and all 4 sections are firmly in place! Saturday evening was a much more up-beat occasion with our Year 5 children participating in the Island Games opening procession. This really was quite spectacular and we certainly showed what island children have to offer. If you werenâ€™t able to attend the parade, do log on to our VLE: http://www.school-portal.co.uk/Grouphomepage.asp?GroupId=696712 and watch a video compilation of the evenings highlights. We all had our fingers crossed for good weather on Wednesday and were rewarded with a fabulous day for our sports events. All the children displayed excellent sportsmanship and behaviour and were a credit to themselves and their teams. The parents also did extremely well in both of their relay races and putting on my trainers wasnâ€™t wasted after my 100 metre dash across the field during the afternoon â€“ time for me to return to the gym! The results were as follows: KS1 - 4th New Zealand, 3rd China, Joint 1st France and USA, KS2 â€“ 4th China, 3rd USA, 2nd New Zealand and 1st France. The winning team overall (with 117 points) was France and they collected their team shield during our worship on Thursday morning. Iâ€™d also like to thank the BSA who ran a highly valued refreshment tent and raised Â£111 towards Year 5â€™s trip to Intech later this month. Today your child should have brought home their summer term report â€“ please check their book bags and let us know if it didnâ€™t quite make it home! Parent consultations take place next week and this will be an excellent opportunity to celebrate your childâ€™s progress and look towards their targets for next academic year. Next Friday sees â€˜move-up morningâ€™ with all classes (except Year 2) spending the morning with their new class teacher â€“ Year 2 will have this opportunity the following Friday (15th). I know that the children (and staff) are greatly looking forward to this opportunity as we draw towards the end of this term and the academic year. There are lots of events on the horizon over the next few weeks, so remember to keep your Buzz handy to ensure that you do not miss a thing! Wishing you all a very happy weekend â€“ fingers crossed that the sunshine will continue! Miss Johnston

Brighstone Buzz, Issue 35, 24th June, 2011

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 09:40:00 +0000

NEWS FROM MISS JOHNSTON What a strange week we have had with the weather! Year 4 managed to stay dry for most of the day on Thursday during their Brook Village Trail work and Year 5 were certainly cooled off, after their fire safety training with the Fire Brigade this week! Job descriptions for the Head Boy and Girl positions have been issued to all children in Year 5, with letters of application due in by 4th July. I have already received some excellent applications and know that this will be a difficult decision. Parents may be aware of a proposal by 2 of the major teaching unions to undertake strike action next Thursday 30th June. I am pleased to inform you that no teachers at Brighstone will be participating in this action and that the school will therefore remain open and operate as usual. If you have children who attend other schools please check with them directly, as each school is affected differently. Last night I attended the first public consultation meeting regarding faith school transport. 2 important items arose. The first is that the consultation has now been extended to 18th July. The second is that the Chief Executive of the Isle of Wight Council confirmed that children who live within the catchment area of Brighstone Primary School or further out into the West Wight (i.e. Freshwater) WILL qualify for free home to school transport to Christ the King College or Carisbrooke High School when they transfer to Secondary School. As these children live outside the 3 mile radius of both of these schools, they WILL be eligible to this transport. The consultation is now only focused on removing discretionary transport for children who live in other areas of the island e.g. Ryde, Sandown and wish for their children to attend Christ the King College â€“ this currently effects approximately 220 children. If you would like any further clarification, please do not hesitate to contact me. The transport issue has led to much debate about the difference between church aided and church controlled schools and I have therefore attached a leaflet, which I hope clarifies these differences. Brighstone is a church aided primary school, one of only 4 on the island. Finally, I would like to congratulate the Craggs family on the birth of Dominic Gabriel Craggs this week and wish all those in Year 5 participating in the Island Games Opening Procession well tomorrow. My special thanks to Yvonne, Jo, Mary, Jan and Janice for helping us get this far with this project. Have a good weekend

Brighstone Buzz, Issue 34, 17th June, 2011

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:11:00 +0000

NEWS FROM MRS PUGH What a wonderful week this has been. So many learning experiences have taken place, including my own as Acting Head Teacher, that it is difficult to know where to begin. On Tuesday the Year 3 performed at the Island Country Dancing Festival at Haven Street. The weather was kind and all staff and children, who had, through collaboration worked hard to learn and practise the many complicated routines, thoroughly enjoyed themselves at this annual event, which has become an important part of our school year. Congratulations to all who took part. With rain forecast on Wednesday our intrepid Reception Class set forth to Briddlesford Farm. Ready in wellies and waterproofs for whatever the weather would throw against them they welcomed into the world, â€˜Poppyâ€™ and â€˜Daisyâ€™ Brighstone, two calves that had been born earlier in the day and named by the children. Their excitement and enjoyment in their learning was illustrated in the outstanding writing and creative drawings that followed the next day. Meanwhile Year 4 had an â€˜Adventure Rideâ€™ of their own, in Parkhurst Forest with the Sports Team from Carisbrooke High. By undertaking team building challenges, setting new targets for endurance and perseverance, staff and children demonstrated true stamina and character. Throughout the week Yr5 have been writing stunning pieces of prose describing â€˜The Pianoâ€™ a moving, spiritual animation that has â€˜inspired them to be the very best that they can be.â€™ In Year 2 the children have been busy sewing their puppets and it has been a pleasure to see how they have grown in independence and confidence by organising their own resources. Many thanks to all the parents who have come in to thread needles and cut material that blunts even the sharpest of scissors! On Thursday evening Miss Brough presented to parents the VLE and impressed everyone with the high quality work uploaded by Year 1 children on their VLE Platforms. This is an exciting time for ICT and Brighstone continues to fulfil itâ€™s vision to â€˜Provide innovative learning opportunities in a forward thinking environment.â€™ If you havenâ€™t visited our VLE then why not try it out this weekend? You can log on through the schoolâ€™s website. Finally, Iâ€™d like to take this opportunity to thank all the staff, pupils and parents who have greeted my three days of Headship with encouragement, praise and patience. Special thanks go to Suzanne and Tarryn who have kept me on track and to the children who have welcomed me every morning on my learning tours of the classrooms with smiles of pride and respect. I would also like to thank Miss Johnston for giving me confidence, guidance and trust to lead our school, I have even greater respect for her ceaseless energy and expertise to do such a demanding and varied job. Have a great weekend and I hope the sun shines on all your adventures.